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by AniDragon



Category: King's Quest (Video Games), King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-24
Updated: 2015-08-24
Packaged: 2018-04-17 00:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4645089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AniDragon/pseuds/AniDragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When she used to dream of rescue, Valanice had expected a noble knight, or an adventuring commoner. Perhaps even a prince. She'd never expected a king. Especially not a king as awkwardly charming as Graham.</p>
            </blockquote>





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**Author's Note:**

> Requested by Gwydionae on Tumblr, who wanted Valanice learning how much of a dork Graham is. I decided it didn't take long for him to reveal that side of himself, lol.
> 
> This is based on the original KQ2, as I didn't realize how different the VGA remake was until I was nearly finished this. Young!Graham's personality is based on Chapter 1 of the new 2015 game.
> 
> EDIT: This was written before Once Upon a Climb was released.

Valanice tensed as she heard the lion guardian outside her door growl menacingly. A rare occurance, as it never growled at the witch Hagatha during her visits. There had once been what she had assumed to be a would-be rescuer who had prompted the reaction, but after the sounds of a brief struggle, there had only been silence. No rescue had come.

Though Valanice longed to leave this tower and return home, in her heart she prayed that whoever was facing the lion would back down. The idea that some brave but foolish knight might face death in an attempt to save her made her heart ache.

She braced herself for the sounds of violence, for a voice to cry out in pain. To her surprise, none came. Instead, the door opened, and a man stepped inside.

Valanice stood up in surprise, staring agape at the man. Behind him, she biefly saw the lion sleeping before he closed the door. How...?

"It's you..." The man's voice brought her attention back to him. He was staring at her in awe, and his face then lit up in a grin. "You're really here."

"Who are you?" She asked. "How did...?"

"Oh!" He flushed, then removed his feathered cap. "Forgive my manners. King Graham of Daventry. May I... ask your name, my lady?"

A king? When she used to dream of rescue, Valanice had expected a noble knight, or an adventuring commoner. Perhaps even a prince. But a king?

"I..." Trying to mask her shock, she curtseyed. "I am Princess Valanice of Kolyma. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, your majesty. But how in the world did you know about me?"

"My kingdom has a magic mirror," he explained. "It showed me where to find you, and..." At this he knelt down, took her hand, and kissed her knuckles. "It said you would be my queen."

Valanice's eyes widenned. "Are you... asking me for my hand, sire?"

"Yes...?" Graham suddenly looked worried. "That is, if you want to..." He stood up and looked away, his blush returning. "I don't want to persume, or presure you... Obviously this is your choice, Princess, and I'll be freeing you from this tower no matter your answer. Do you need to know more about me before you decide? What am I saying, of course you do, we just met. Well, my name's Graham -- wait, you know that already..."

He kept talking, pacing and gesturing enthusiastically in front of her, and in minutes Valanice knew everything from King Graham's favourite flavoured jelly bean (popcorn, the same as hers), to the colour of his socks (rainbow, and knitted by his friend Acorn).

She also knew, even without the barrage of information, that he was brave and clever enough to have ventured to this tower, apparently alone, to rescue her; That he was decent enough to not just expect that she would love him for that reason alone; That he was handsome; And, as she continued to watch him stammer through his introduction, that he was utterly charming. Far more so than any of the matches her mother used to try and make for her.

She couldn't help but smile, and a soft laugh escaped her. "Yes."

Graham stopped, and he glanced back at her in confusion. "Yes what?"

Feeling bold, Valanice stepped closer to place a brief kiss on his cheek. "Yes, I'll marry you. I'll be your queen."

Graham's mouth hung open in surprise. Had she rendered him speechless? (A difficult task, she could tell already) After a moment he smiled, his face lighting up like it had when he'd first walked in and seen her. He swooped down to claim her lips and... Oh! The kiss was chaste, but made shivers go down her back, and when he pulled away she could still feel her lips tingling.

He took both of her hands in his. "Let's get you out of here."

She glanced at the door he'd entered from, nervously recalling the lion on the other side and the steep staircase beyond. "Where will we go?"

He fished an amulet out of his pocket and held it up. "Home."


End file.
